Redhook Sunrye Summer Ale

Since Autumn starts on Monday, I decided to have 1 last summer beer, namely Redhook Brewery's Sunrye Summer Ale. This is a very typical summer ale. It's light, and has a very lightly sweet, modestly malty taste, with a hint of citrus. It has very little in the way of hop bitterness. It poured a clear golden color with a head that lasted as long as it took to empty the bottle into the glass. I didn't taste a lot of rye in the brew, so when all is said and done, it's just a light summer ale. I guess I'm over the whole summer thing - it's Octoberfest time!

Redhook Copper Hook Spring Ale

Whenever I read the words "Spring Ale" or "Summer Ale", I immediately think "Wheat Beer". Such is not the case with Redhook's Copper Hook Spring Ale. This is a very mild amber ale, light enough to be a thirst-quenching warmer-weather brew. It poured a light amber color, with a small white head, that dissipated pretty quickly. It has a lightly malty, slightly sweet character, with a little bit of citrus flavor and aroma. There are just enough hops to offset the sweet malt. This would be a good session beer, since it is also reasonably low in the alcohol department, at just 4.1%. Redhook seems to be a pretty solid microbrewery, although I can't rate it as a great microbrewery. Dogfish Head, Rogue, and Lagunitas don't have to sweat it.

Redhook Long Hammer IPA

With the "Great Hop Shortage of 2008" in full swing, I decided I should take advantage of the availability of hoppy beers while I still could, so today's selection is Redhook Long Hammer IPA. This is the American version of the IPA, which is decidedly more strongly hopped than the English IPA's. Redhook's IPA poured a nice deep golden color with a modest head that didn't last very long. Maybe I've been spoiled by over-the-top IPA's, but this one seemed somewhat subdued. I was expecting more hops! This seemed more like a pale ale than an IPA. Still enjoyable, but not quite what I was anticipating. Cool label at least.